India-UN Development Partnership Fund

The India-UN Development Partnership Fund was established by Government of India in June 2017, to work with fellow developing countries in a spirit of South-South cooperation by providing support to projects that aim to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as per their request. A total of $100 million over the next decade has been committed by the Government of India for the India-UN Development Partnership Fund. It adheres to the principles of South-South cooperation and places a priority on national ownership and leadership, equality, sustainability, development of local capacity and mutual benefit. The Fund supports projects that are in alignment with the 2030 Agenda.

The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation is the designated Fund manager.

Subsequently, in April 2018, with the aim of working specifically with fellow Commonwealth developing countries, the Government of India established a separate Commonwealth Window under the India-UN Development Partnership Fund. As in the case of the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, the Commonwealth Window also supports projects that are in alignment with the 2030 Agenda and priority areas of the Commonwealth as also adheres to the principles of South-South cooperation. For the Commonwealth Window, an additional amount of $50 million over the next five years has been committed by the Government of India. Thus, the total amount committed to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund stands at US$ 150 millions.

The Fund particularly welcomes proposals from least-developed countries (LDCs), landlocked-developing countries (LLDCs) and small-island developing states (SIDS). Proposals may be presented by the Governments of developing countries also. In just about two years, the Fund has been able to develop 36 projects in 37 partnering countries. 21 Projects are already under implementation with many nearing completion.

A brief overview of the proposal submission and project implementation processes include:

Proposals are presented by a partner country in the form of a concept note describing the strategy, key features and indicative budget of the initiative.

Proposals can be presented to either the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York or to UNOSSC. Proposals are reviewed for approval by the Board of Directors of the Fund on a regular basis.

Proposals that have been approved to receive funding would be formulated into a detailed Project Document by the implementing agency. The Project Document is developed in close consultation with UNOSSC and follows its template, standards and procedures. The Project Document is then reviewed by the Board of the Fund. The formulation-approval process is expected to be completed in within three months.

The selected implementing agency receives the approval to implement the project with the Government and other partners. The agency is expected to monitor overall implementation in line with United Nations policies and procedures and submit monthly updates. The partnering Governments, accredited representatives of the Government of India and UNOSSC also regularly review the progress of implementation.